Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the quality of business mentoring provided under the New Enterprise Allowance; and if he will make a statement.

New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) participants receive access to a business mentor who provides them with guidance and support as they develop their business plan – this is referred to as a start to NEA. There have been 117,170 starts to NEA and 90,350 businesses set up through the scheme since April 2011 to June 2016 (latest statistics available).

The department published a survey in January 2016 showing that 83 per cent of Claimants who had received support from a mentor rated it helpful in supporting them to develop a business plan.

This report was published on 28 January and can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-enterprise-allowance-survey.